"batman begins"

[rone]

I think i've avoided writing about the movie because it would just be an exercise in nerdiness that i could avoid.  But then mmcirvin posted his thoughts on the movie and, gosh darn it, if he's not above it, why should i?

I didn't mind Katie Holmes's acting; i think that the character was poorly written (perhaps even poorly conceived), and she made the best of it.  I was surprised by the special guest appearance of her nipples in the final scenes; maybe Christian Bale's a hell of a kisser.

I liked Bale's Batman voice.  I thought it was effective.  I was confused by the juggling of Ra's Al Ghul's identity — was Ken Watanabe really Ra's and Ducard usurped the name afterwards, or was Ducard Ra's all along and Watanabe played... someone else?  Gah!  CONFUSION.  Gary Oldman was so good, it pissed me off that they deviated so far from Frank Miller's Batman: Year One; the book gives almost equal time to Gordon (as well as Catwoman, but she's not even in the movie, so whatever), and the lack of development of Gordon's character is a huge missed opportunity.  Tom Wilkinson kicked ass and needed more screen time (but i've liked him in every movie i've seen him).  Cillian Murphy was spooky.  Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, well, i won't say they phoned it in, but they didn't exactly stretch themselves, either.

One thing that really bothered me was Batman's rush to save Katie Holmes.  I know i'm being a big nerd here, but Batman would never be so careless as to crush civilian and cop cars just to save some chick's life.  Another annoyance was the conversion of Flass from an overbearing Green Beret asshole to a seedy donut-eater who was more apathetic than corrupt.  Overall, though, the movie was fun, well-written, and well-paced (people who complained about the "slow beginning" should be locked into an Ingmar Bergman festival until they recant).

In conclusion, go read Batman: Year One. You might even find it at the library. Do it now.

Comments

[peglegpete.livejournal.com]

I liked Bale's Batman voice. I thought it was effective.

Agreed -- I liked the raw edge to it. I think it really helped get across the fact that you are dealing with a seriously deranged psychotic who needs to dress up in rodent-ish fetish gear and beat people up in order to feel even the smallest shred of peace. It's a damn shame that most Batman stuff out there (well, okay, at least most of the stuff I've read/seen) seems to gloss over this.

I was confused by the juggling of Ra's Al Ghul's identity — was Ken Watanabe really Ra's and Ducard usurped the name afterwards, or was Ducard Ra's all along and Watanabe played... someone else? Gah! CONFUSION.

Huh. Ducard felt like RAG to me shortly into the training scenes, particularly given how little of Watanbe we see. RAG doesn't strike me as someone who would delegate the majority of the training of his Chosen One to someone else. Once I saw the little goatee bits on Ducard at Wayne Manor, it didn't even cross my mind that RAG could be anyone other than Ducard the entire time.

Gary Oldman was so good, it pissed me off that they deviated so far from Frank Miller's Batman: Year One; the book gives almost equal time to Gordon (as well as Catwoman, but she's not even in the movie, so whatever), and the lack of development of Gordon's character is a huge missed opportunity.

While I think 'BM: Year One' is a superb (and better) story, I'm somewhat boggled that you would even consider that 'Batman Begins' would have been an adaptation of it. I thought the whole time BB was being promoted as another Batman origin story, incorporating a few elements from Year One. Did I miss something?

I think a Year One adaptation would be sweet, but I don't think you could do justice to either the Wayne or Gordon stories if you tried to include both within the limitations of a single movie.

One thing that really bothered me was Batman's rush to save Katie Holmes. I know i'm being a big nerd here, but Batman would never be so careless as to crush civilian and cop cars just to save some chick's life.

This bugged me, too. But as others have pointed out, he's brand new at this, and this is the first time he's really driven his monstrosity like that. It'll be nice if a sequal shows a nice learning curve in a few areas, nicely emphasizing how much of an amateur he really was to begin with.

In conclusion, go read Batman: Year One. You might even find it at the library. Do it now.

Amen, brutha.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

I believe it was supposed to be an adaptation of B:YO but it mutated quickly.

One reason i don't buy the "he's new at this" explanation for the car chase is that, in B:YO, even after he forces the cop car where he's arrested to crash, he pulls the two cops to safety even though he's been shot.

[dr-memory.livejournal.com]

Well... there was certainly talk of a straight-up adaption of Year One, to be directed by Darren Aronofsky, but it got stuck in turnaround for a few years (this was pre-Spiderman/XMen and post-Batman&Robin, so no one was really sure if you could make money from superhero flicks anymore), and I don't think there was ever a script written for it.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Aha. The conflation demon hits! -- more --

[peglegpete.livejournal.com]

Hm, I must have hopped on the info train a bit late, then. Certainly not the first time, either.

And yeah, good point on the B:YO scene.